The present invention concerns a knurling tool comprising a tool head which carries at least one knurling wheel and which is mounted adjustably on a shaft, wherein the tool head is mounted on the shaft linearly displaceably transversely with respect to the axis of the shaft.
Knurling tools comprising a tool head which is mounted adjustably on a shaft are already known. One example is illustrated in German patent DE 970 092. In the state of the art the tool head of the knurling tool is mounted on the shaft rotatably about an axis so that the tool head can be oriented relative to the workpiece to be worked upon, with the shaft being clamped, for example, to the support of a turning lathe or a CNC-machine.
A knurling tool in which the tool head is displaceable on the shaft linearly transversely with respect to the axis of the shaft is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,199. The tool head is compressed by a clamping screw in order to fix the tool head in position on the shaft.
It has been found that this adjustment option for the tool head with respect to the shaft is in practice not sufficient to permit adaptation to all types of machines. Rather, it was necessary to manufacture knurling tools of the specified kind, with various shafts, in order to cover the clamping situation in relation to the most common types of machines. In addition, when high loadings are involved, the requirements for adequate stability in respect of shape of the shaft and the tool head are only partially met.